Hi Darling,
The Carr-Fassett family has a lot to be grateful about. If you’ve been following our adventures on Facebook and Instagram (where I post most of my personal pix and lots of animal adoption updates) you know that we found a big ole blessing in the woods (with the help of some awesome New Yorkers!): A sweet, emaciated (35 pounds underweight), sick and struggling-to-stay-alive, hound dog who we named…Buddy!
After weeks of searching for his owner, making countless trips to the vet, nursing him back to health around the clock (how do you moms out there do it?!), and showering him with love, respect and compassion, it’s official—he’s doing great and we’re keeping him! He’s our soon-to-be-healthy boy now and we couldn’t be happier. Welcome sweet Buddy!
Today Buddy is quite the celebrity. Thousands of people from around the world have been praying for him and cheering him on (#gobuddygo). Folks have been logging into their social media accounts just for Buddy, especially on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
If you’re one of those people, I just want to take a moment to thank you. I know your love matters. It’s been part of his medicine and ours.
What’s more, I’ve read at least a dozen comments from people who went out and adopted a first or second fur-child. And countless others who have said, “now you’ve really got me thinking, I really want to adopt.” Booyah! Nothing makes me happier. I swear I’ve cried hundreds of heart-opening tears as I read all the love and possibilities. You all are so wonderful, yet another reason I have to be grateful.
When I first saw this skinny guy, I knew the road would be long.
And I heard the voices in my head: “Um, you don’t have time for this. He’s too sick. You’re already spread too thin. Lola doesn’t like to share. You travel too much. He’s bigger than your house. He’s a hunting dog, you eat plants!” Sound familiar? I bet you have practical voices that tell you not to do stuff you really want to do too.
Soon I came to understand that Buddy was my spiritual lesson.
I constantly talk about the importance of loving kindness—extended to all beings. How could I pick and choose when it’s convenient? How could I not take this guy into my life and heart. Brian felt the same way (thank the Gods!).
That was our rubber meets the road moment.
Who better than us to care for this guy? We have 16 acres of woods to explore, 6 of which are fully fenced in—crucial for Buddy’s built-in wanderlust. We work from home. We love animals. We want more joy in our lives. It quickly became a no-brainer.
As for Lola, she’s dealing and healing too. I think Buddy is the only brother she’d ever tolerate. Because he was so malnourished and wounded, she gave him space and reverence. Though she really doesn’t appreciate when he takes over her bed (that’s way too small for him), I think she likes to have a pal to trot around and explore with (which he is slowly starting to do). We’re doing our best to make her feel super special during this time. Translation: She’s getting chubby. “Hello piglet, enjoy it now cause it ain’t gonna last!”
After only a few days, Buddy is putting on weight—close to a pound a day. His coat gets shinier, his eyes get brighter and his tail wags more and more. He’s even starting to look our way when we call his name!
I wanted to express how lucky we feel to have the chance to make a difference in Buddy’s life.
If you decide to bring an animal into your home this holiday season, please consider adoption. So many beings suffer senselessly in shelters. Sadly, many of them die there, never knowing any kindness or cuddles. If you’ve got a rescued fur-baby, you know what I mean. You also understand that they know you saved them—it’s a bond like no other. And boy do they appreciate it.
Unconditional love heals.
Thanks for listening! He continues to heal. As do we.
There’s nothing better than happy trails and waggy endings!
Public Service Announcement: For all the hound dog lovers out there—consider a GPS collar. Hunting dogs and hounds are lead by their nose. They get lost easily and really need our help. Tragically, many hunting dogs go missing during hunting season, and others get left behind if they aren’t top performers.
Your turn: Share your adoption story in the comments below (and congrats to Lisa Henbest, my Crazy Sexy Kitchen contest winner!)
Peace & wags,
After rescuing a lifetime of dogs from tiny terriers to bloodhounds, Bassets, German Shepherds, Bostons (do a google search for Granny Annie), and all kinds of mixed breeds, there is one dog I can’t take because there are 7 in residence in addition to 3 exotic birds all who will outlive us, the small flock of chickens and 3 cats. We both have cancer and are in our 70s.
Her name is Riley and she is deaf and blind, having that awful mutation that comes with breeding 2 blue merles. She is mostly white, less than a year old and probably Australian Shepherd and Border collie. She plays with other dogs well and was adopted for a few days. Now the family doesn’t want her and
there is no foster available to take her.
So if you are looking for an affectionate and loving dog with a disability and have the time and enormous
heart to love a dog like this, please contact Joyce at her email. She is working desperately to find Riley a home. Joyce Soares
Riley is in the Florida panhandle. I believe she has her own facebook page at Lucky Paws Rescue (or Lucky Puppy Rescue). She is in DIRE NEED.
Please go to this website and look at these sweet pei-bies…
http://www.macspro.org/adoptions.html
Dog of the week! Wilbur
Wilbur is one of the happiest most enthusiastic dogs we’ve ever had! Before we got him he had been making a habit of walking up to total strangers in a neighborhood and hanging out with them as long as they wanted to pet him or give him treats. As a result, he’s a very “healthy” boy as you can see from his pic.
We’ve had Wilbur for a little over two months now and we now feel it’s urgent to find him a forever home. He’s too friendly and far too loving of people to spend his days in the kennel… he deserves a warm home and an owner with TONS of affection to give and he’ll be juuuuuuust fine.
He gets along with other dogs, adults and children, comes with a clean bill of health from our vet and he’s current on all shots. Please consider adopting this sweet boy today or please share our email with somebody else who might want to meet him in time for him to be begging for food from the Thanksgiving table 🙂
Love this story. Our dog/child is almost 5 and I can’t imagine our lives without her. I wish everyone would adopt a pet and save a life, not just the the dog’s life but their own. They bring so much more to your life than you even imagine. Our human children are 3 and 1 and I think they truly benefit from having a furry sibling too. They learn to care for and have respect for animals. I would adopt 10 more if I could. Buddy looks very loved and will be forever greatful for your help.
Kris, this article warms my heart. Thank you for being a voice to the millions of animals who are homeless, in shelters, or in abusive homes. My husband and I have 3 rescue dogs who provide us with so much laughter and love, sometimes I feel as though my heart may burst! Sending lots of love to you and your husband, Buddy & Lola this holiday season. <3<3<3
Hi, Kris. Love your devotion to our ‘best friends.’ I’ve recued dogs my entire life (I’m 87 now). I’ve written a a book about my beloved friends (392 Dog Years and Counting), and will be sending you a copy shortly. Hope you enjoy it. Best always, Bill
What a beautiful story Kris! I look forward to following #gobuddygo ‘s progress…he’s very handsome!
I’ve picked up countless stray dogs and cats in my lifetime – when my sister and I were teens, we brought home a puppy that was trying to get on a city bus we were behind in traffic and even cut open a screen on our window at home and told mom a kitty scratched her way inside! Our mom, who taught us to love animals, “bought” our stories every time!
My family and I (husband + 4 boys) currently have 3 furpups who are all rescued – Shadow, a 16/17 year old beagle who we’ve had for @ 15 years, an 8ish year old shepherd mix, Charlie who’s smiling face and giant nose captured me from a poster in Starbucks, and Aleister (pup-pup), a 1 year old pitbull mix who lived on the streets of Houston’s East End and was rescued by Barrio Dogs, Inc. He was just a baby of about 2 months when someone spotted him near a drain that he could have fallen into and he was eating eating rocks and leaves. They picked him up, vetted him and posted his picture on Facebook. He stole my heart the moment I saw him!!
We love all our dogs and the many critters who have resided with us over the years, but having pup-pup come into our lives when he did changed us. Especially my husband. I truly believe he was sent here to show us how to love more. He’s brought a lot of laughter, patience, activity and sweetness into our home that had been lacking for quite awhile. I feel so blessed to be his “mom”.
Thanks for giving this space to share my story. Namaste.
Love, love, love. It’s what it’s all about! Big, big hugs and love to LOLA!!! Welcome to your happy love life, Buddy xoxo
Simply beautiful! What a sweet boy…and so fortunate (finally) to have fallen into your loving arms. Thank you Kris and hubby!
Hi there!
You are awesome. Really. Love your website, love the way you live your life, and I love the fact that you took in a stray pup! I’d like to share the story of my dear sweet Sanford. My husband (boyfriend of one month at the time) used to work in construction. He was a licensed builder helping to rehab homes in downtown Detroit. This was almost 9.5 years ago now. We were only dating one month. It was a Sunday, he spoke with me about the fact that he would like to adopt a dog and I was elated that this new (very special boyfriend of mine) wanted me to search for a new family member of his. The next day, I was at work at an office and he called me. Told me he had something to show me during my lunch hour. I walk outside to the parking lot, and in his hands is this teeny tiny puppy with bright blue eyes looking up at me. My heart melted.
Here’s how he this little guy came to be in our lives. My husband was on the job site, having a meeting when one of the guys on his team said “I think you have a new friend”. My husband, not knowing what the heck he meant asked for clarification. The guy said “look down”. Look down he did. At his feet was this teeny tiny little pup, curled up and sleeping. He picked him up and walked around the neighborhood looking for the owner to this little pup. No one claimed him. My husband decided to take him to two different vets for evaluation. Both of them said he was most likely about 4 weeks old, and was a Dalmatian/pit bull mix. The neighborhood he found him in was pretty well known for pit bull fighting, and since he was a mutt, there was a good chance he would have been used as a “bait dog”. When he was at the vet, they discovered that this four week old puppy had chicken bones in his stomach and was most likely picking through garbage for food as he was not taken care of and lost apparently. They had to pump his stomach because a 4 week old puppy should not be eating chicken bones and his stomach was super distended. He also had bite marks on him.
Thankfully, this little guy has now been our beloved family member for ove 9 years. His name is Sanford. He’s such a love of ours.
Miss Kris,
Earlier this year, my husband and I wanted to find a friend to keep our boxer company. We are both in the military and felt like he needed a buddy. My husband was set on a Great Dane from a breeder because he thought that purebreds were more reliable to train–that’s what he always did before we met. After some research, I discovered that it’s illegal to sell Great Danes in our town, so any available are under the table on sites like craigslist. I managed to convince my husband to adopt a rescue–a skinny, dehydrated young Dane named Gus with two right ears (not due to damage or abuse, he just born that way). Gus bonded with my husband instantly, a good thing since I recently deployed to Afghanistan and he’s now a single parent to two very large boys who don’t know why I’m not there! I’m so glad he’s part of my family now whenever call home on Skype. And I’m so grateful that my husband opened his heart to a rescue pup.
Our Buddy was a Hurricane Katrina victim, one of the last dogs taken out of the city alive. When we first saw him we thought he had a really big head, then realized it was just because his body was so thin. He had been surviving on his own for quite some time.
He was brought to Ohio by our greyhound rescue group (we have one of those too 🙂 Buddy had to stay at the vet an extra day longer than the other dogs, so the rescue group asked if we would watch him for the weekend.
That weekend turned into 6 wonderful years. For my fiancé it was love at first sight. When Buddy climbed up in his lap that first night (all 50+ pounds of him), I knew he was staying.
I adopted a 7 month old black lab/hound, Sophie, from Lucky Lab Rescue in Indiana 5 years ago. My kids had always wanted a dog but being the only parent, I just didn’t think I could do it when they were young. At the time I was engaged and we adopted her together. I was also a single parent of 4 kids 14-24 and life was good. 2 years later, my fiancé and I ended our relationship and Sophie was a constant reminder of what I had lost. But meeting with an old friend one day who was listening to me complain that the only reason I adopted her was because of my fiancé and now I am supposed to take care of her and my family, he replied that maybe I had met my fiancé so that I would meet Sophie. She has given my now adult children the opportunity to give and experience unconditional love, even with all of her quirky ways. She has brought joy into all of our lives.
I just got to say, You are amazing Kris and thank you for all you do. Keep up the good work, and thank you for coming into my life.
God bless you,
Debbie
Kris I am so happy to hear that you and your husband have decided to keep Buddy. I hope Buddy will bring you and your family many happy years.
On November 16th 2010 I was driving down the road on a cold rainy November day when I spotted a small dog in the middle of the street. I don’t usually take this route but for some reason I did this day. I had a car behind me and one passed me so I drove down the road to turn around. As I opened my car door to step out this little dog was at my feet dripping wet and shivering. I picked him up, calling him peanut because of his size, and put him in a blanket I had in my car. I spent the next several days trying to find his owners figuring that someone was sick about loosing him. When no one claimed him he became the new addition to our family. He has brought us such joy.
Dear Kris!
You are the best! Ya! Love is everything! I love you! you are such an inspiration to me!
I was so moved by buddy’s story! And I actually have a very similar story to tell you….
We live in the holy city of Jerusalem – enchanted with beautiful light and spirituality, a city of peace – housing all religions, and also – many street cats….
Two years ago, we were sitting in our garden one afternoon, when a very sick looking, injured, underweight, limping, dirty cat came to join us. at first, we tried to shoo him away, but he just wouldn’t go… we already adopted a female street cat – one year earlier, when my son found four tiny nursing cats – deserted, hungry and thirsty… my son, ten years old at the time, found a way to feed them with special baby-cat milk. he also provided warm shelter for them, and as time went by, only one cat survived- Tully – is our princess cat’s name… well that afternoon, looking at the sick cat, my son said: “mommy, why don’t we give him something to eat and drink? and I said – “well, if we do that – it means that he’s here for good…” would he infect our beloved Tully? I asked myself…. would he fight with her? how will we manage two cats in an urban setting? can we afford the vet fees? well, we had one look at his beautiful face, his rich, deep, emotional eyes – and all the questions just went away… Pasta became ours in that second! we fed him, cleaned him, took him numerous times to the vet – he was actually diagnosed with FIV – a very serious cat condition – no immune system…. every few weeks – for the last two years, he has to be checked and treated – but we LOVE him SO VERY MUCH! and he loves us!!! Pasta and Tully get along very well – it’s a true love story! He gives all of us so much love! Whenever we pat him – he pats us back!!! he gives us so much love! He guards our house, he is so responsible, he is so wise and so giving! we feel – he actually thinks WE are HIS PETS!!! And he takes very good care of us! we learn a lot from him every day – and we feel Pasta was a true gift to our lives – live and love! love and live!
We love you Kris!
Kisses from Jerusalem!
Nurit
Dear Kris!
Thanks for being a generous and wonderful person sharing a lot of things online and via other channels.
I haven`t adopted a dog before, but never say never.
I want to share different story with you: I live in China and used to work in a school and i had an elderly Lady coworker from Canada there. She happened to adopt a dog that nobody else wanted to take care of. But the dog got sick. The elderly Lady decided to take the dog to the doctor and asked me to translate for her.
The Lady was very sad and cried, because she felt with the dog. I just could not understand, all i saw was that the Lady was seeing her own life in that of the dog.
I know what it means to have an animal as a true friend. I am 100% percent vegetarian and have feelings for all animals, specially horses, lonely dogs and last not least, after seeing a great documentary: sharks!!!
I love swimming in the ocean, so far without any shark-experience, but i learned: This is the eldest species on the planet. Originally i come from a European country with lot of care for dogs. I wish that this love will extent to cows and everything around!
♡♡
D.
Rescue dogs rock! Our experience has been that they are so loving & so appreciate having a safe and comforting home. The 4 that we have adopted over the last 20 years have been nothing short of spectacular and have added infinite joy to our family. If there is a doubt in your mind about taking a chance on a wounded soul, do it! You will not regret it!
One afternoon the husby and I were driving by a busy street in San Diego, and my hubby saw a tiny Siamese kitten running along the road and then down into the hole. We were there like a flash with a can of cat food, only to find not one but THREE tiny kittens living in a storm drain. They were going under the road and up the other side, looking for food, or a way out of their life in the storm drain. On one side was a train track, on the other a wall that ran along the tracks, and beneath that a trolley. In the hole was broken glass, dirty clothes, and it was just starting to get cold. We knew what we had to do. I went back for 6 days in a row until I caught them all, through the fence, using a long laundry basket, an easel, and of course: wet cat food. There was the Siamese, a tuxedo, and our darling Kate, the tabby. We brought two of the kitties to the humane society along with a $250 check to ensure they would be “sponsored” until adopted with explicit instructions that there would be no “E.” for them, only a call to us. Of course, I wish I could save them all. They did find them homes; I followed up to confirm. Kate, our little sweet tabby, is now over 5 years old, and she is the sweetest, most grateful kitty going. We also have another grey kitty that we got from some folks that were going to make her a “barn cat,” which means they live outdoors and eat rodents to keep the barn area in order. Nope, our little Gwynnie is living the life of a kitty princess–inside, warm, and with plenty of love, food, and cuddles. I adore them both and they give me back so much more. Thanks for the opportunity to share this story…
What a sweetie! Just learned about your new buddy tonight and my heart and best wishes to all of you. About 3 weeks ago I noticed a beautiful feral cat in our neighborhood literally staggering from starvation as she walked across the street. Now, thanks to many bags of good food and a ton of patience she is starting to put some weight on. The bowl has been moved from the edge of my property up to the front porch, she still won’t let me come near her, but that’s my Christmas wish – to pet this beautiful creature God gave us! Hats off to anyone who rescues and loves God’s 4-legged children!